Ultra Maritime US and BDL to Co-Produce Sonobuoys for Indian Navy to Enhance Indian Ocean Undersea Domain Awareness

In a significant boost to undersea surveillance capabilities, India and the U.S. have announced a partnership for the co-production of American sonobuoys for the Indian Navy.

This initiative, a first-of-its-kind collaboration, will see U.S.-based Ultra Maritime (UM) and India's Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) jointly manufacture these critical underwater surveillance devices.

Sonobuoys are a key technology for tracking submarines in deep seas and oceans, playing a vital role in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and enhancing Undersea Domain Awareness (UDA).

This partnership reflects the growing strategic convergence between India and the U.S., particularly in light of increasing concerns about China's expanding naval presence in the Indian Ocean Region.

The announcement came during U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's recent visit to India, where he held talks with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval.

The co-production of sonobuoys aligns with the U.S.-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET), launched in 2022 to deepen defence innovation and industrial cooperation between the two nations.

This partnership is noteworthy for several reasons:

• Technology Transfer: It facilitates the transfer of high-end sonobuoy technology to India, boosting its indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities.
• Make in India: Production will be split between the U.S. and India, adhering to the "Make in India" initiative and contributing to India's self-reliance in defence production.
• Interoperability: The sonobuoys will be manufactured to U.S. Navy standards, ensuring interoperability with U.S., Indian, and allied platforms like the P-8, MH-60R, and MQ-9B Sea Guardian aircraft. This is crucial for collaborative defence efforts and seamless operations between the two navies and their partners.
• Enhanced UDA: The sonobuoys will be optimized for the unique acoustic environment of the Indian Ocean, enabling more effective submarine detection and tracking in the region.

This initiative marks a significant step forward in India-U.S. defence cooperation and highlights the growing emphasis on UDA in the Indian Ocean.

By jointly developing and producing advanced sonobuoys, both nations aim to enhance their maritime surveillance capabilities and contribute to a more secure and stable Indo-Pacific region.

 

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[Tailless Baboon]

Again, our scientists could have imagined such a weapon and then planned and manufactured it, but they didn't. Why are our scientists falling short in even imagining such a weapon? Funding will be the next problem and arises later. At least have something in mind and then on paper that could be submitted to the CCS. No wonder the US had called us imitators and not innovators.

 

[Sandeep]

In the short term it’s better to manufacture the USA sonobuoy rather than import it which would be more expensive. However we need to 100% indigenously design, develop and manufacture a compatible sonobuoy that is compatible with the P8I platform if the USA allows it.